


Secrets Known and Unknown

by anarchycox



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Banter, Crack, Fade to black sex, Fluff, He deserves a break, Love, M/M, Magic is Revealed, Merlin POV, Mistaken Identity, gwaine thinks he has figured out merlin's secret, he has not, increasingly absurd names for fake assassin guilds, merlin is tired, merlin's brain is a confusing place, stream of conscious thought at times
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:14:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28135992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anarchycox/pseuds/anarchycox
Summary: Merlin panics when Gwaine suggests that he has figured out Merlin's great secret. But it turns out that Gwaine just thinks that Merlin is a secret bodyguard hired by Uther to protect Arthur. Merlin decides to roll with this. Chaos, love, and truth all result.
Relationships: Gwaine/Merlin (Merlin)
Comments: 37
Kudos: 184





	Secrets Known and Unknown

Merlin knew Gwaine was watching him. Gwaine was always watching him, but tonight it was different. There had been a fight when they went out to find this month’s evil magic doohickey that must be destroyed, because there always was. And Arthur rushed in as he always did and Merlin saved the idiot prince like he always did. And then, like always, they were sitting around camp teasing his poor cooking, and being happy because evil grr bad magic had been defeated again.

Object hadn’t even been that evil, just a little evil and could have been good if it had the chance, but no Morgana might find it so of course it was broken apart the pieces buried, thrown, burned. Each knight taking a piece and destroying or hiding it in turn. Merlin had been given the smallest fragment and had been told even he could manage to get rid of it. Yeah, sure, his pocket was a perfectly reasonable hiding place. No one would think to look there.

Before his mind was too far down the bitching path though, he remembered those eyes watching him. He looked over and they were still there, but Gwaine’s usual small smile wasn’t. He looked like he was thinking.

Fuck. Gwaine actually thinking was bad. Because he was really good at it, when he bothered. Which he didn’t do much. Let people know how smart you are, and then they have expectations of you. Gwaine had mentioned that once when Merlin had caught him calculating location and distance via the stars. If Arthur knew how smart he was, might start relying on him the way he relied on Leon. Gwaine would lose out on naps and tavern time. Can’t lose out on tavern time, nap time. They were vital for his hair growth, apparently.

Merlin had called him a fool.

Gwaine said it took a great deal of intelligence to be as much of a fool as he was.

Merlin thought he had a fair point. And his gaze now wasn’t that of foolish Gwaine, it was of so very smart Gwaine. “Strange battle,” Gwaine said slowly, like he was remembering how to form words.

“Was it?” Arthur shrugged, “Felt like the normal sort of ambush for us.”

“That is what I mean, Princess. Our sort of normal, is different from my experience in the world.” Gwaine had something in his hands, was twisting it this way and that. “Ignore me, haven’t had a drink in three days.” Everyone laughed and Merlin grew more tense. “I’ll take the midnight watch with, Merlin,” Gwaine offered. 

“My thanks,” Arthur nodded. The rest of the watch was divided, and Merlin took care of cleaning the pot, fixing some armor. But he kept looking at Gwaine and it kept looking like the man was thinking. He had to distract Gwaine from thinking. It shouldn’t be hard, the man had to keep up appearances so he had to rise to the bait Merlin threw down.

“Gwaine, heard an interesting story about you and a dress at the tavern?” He hadn’t but come on, in the history of Gwaine and ale, there had to be a story of Gwaine and a dress out in the word somewhere.

Gwaine smiled, “Now now, that story shouldn’t have made it all the way to Camelot.”

“Ho ho, this will be good,” Elyan cried out, and the knights all leaned forward eager for a tale.

Merlin grinned, satisfied that Gwaine would stop thinking now that he had an eager audience. He tended to his chores and slept lightly until Gwaine kicked his ankle. “I’m awake,” Merlin groaned. He sat up and looked around. The fire was still bright, and he could see Percival and Leon settling in to rest at the end of their shift. “I need to -” Merlin sort of gestured to the woods and Gwaine nodded. He relieved himself and then returned to camp. It was a cool night and Gwaine was holding up the end of his cloak. Merlin dove in, because yes the mail would be cold but the cloak warm. He wanted a nice cloak, but no that was only for knights. He argued it didn’t have to be the same colour, but servant meant jacket not cloak.

He’d look really good in a black cloak. Although a lot of the sorcerers they ran into had black cloaks. He could wear it, be the good sorcerer in black, show up all the evil ones. Or blue. A rich blue cloak would be nice. But Gwen said that much blue dye was prohibitively expensive. He wondered why he remembered the price of dye. 

“Where is your mind tonight, Merlin?” Gwaine spoke softly to not wake the camp.

“I’d look good in a blue cloak.”

“You would, though I a rich green would be nice as well,” Gwaine offered. “Soft brown, like a fawn?”

“That would be nice.” Merlin thought about a cloak that colour. “I’d like that.”

They stared at the fire and Merlin whined when Gwaine got up to do a perimeter check, but the cloak was draped over his shoulders. Merlin buried his nose in the soft fabric, and then sneezed with how much it smelled of metal and horse. Maybe he didn’t want a cloak, they got surprisingly rank. He was debating the benefits vs smell of a cloak when Gwaine returned. They sat there and Merlin smiled at how quiet Gwaine was. The man was only quiet with him, because he was willing to put on less of a show with Merlin.

“I know your secret. Figured it out in the last fight.”

“Ha ha ha ha,” Merlin couldn’t stop the panicked laugh that spilled out of his mouth. “Secret?” He snorted and it was loud enough to make Arthur roll over. “No secret’s here. In this camp. Unless you count Leon’s secret recipe for shortbread? That is a definite secret. But no secrets on me. Ha ha ha, me having secrets.” Merlin gave a smile. “Funny.”

Gwaine stood and nodded to the woods. Fuck fuck, why did this have to be the thing that Gwaine decided to think about? Why couldn’t he focus that stupid decent brain on mead, or tits, or how to annoy Arthur? Those were all great things to focus on. Well not breasts, Merlin didn’t particularly care for thinking about them much if he was honest with himself, and he tried to only lie to himself on Thursdays, and it was Tuesday. He thought. Shit, maybe it was Thursday and he should lie to himself. He liked tits. There he lied. “What day of the week is it, Gwaine?”

“Wednesday,” Gwaine was frowning at him.

Great, and now he had wasted a lie.

They were close enough to see the fire and the bodies of their friends, and for a moment Merlin thought about just going on, keep walking until land’s end and keep walking. He was sure he could cross an ocean if he put his mind to it. But he didn’t. Gwaine had a hand on his shoulder. Oh, no it was two hands and Merlin waited for them to close around his throat. He had sort of once pictured Gwaine choking him but, then it was a sex thing and not a going to kill you for magic thing. Not even a sex thing he wanted, just a random there and gone thought.

“Merlin,” Gwaine said softly, “Merlin,” he shook the man a bit.

But shaking wasn’t choking. Merlin looked into Gwaine’s eyes and there was no censure or malice in his gaze. “Yes? No secret. None. None at all.”

“Merlin, I won’t tell anyone,” Gwaine promised, “Though, honestly how has everyone not figured it out?”

Merlin swallowed, “Well, I am a really good liar?” Yes, okay, the look Gwaine gave him at that was completely fair. Although actually he was a great liar, if he thought about it, it just had to be more lie of omission where he didn’t really have to make something up. He could just keep his mouth shut. He was really fucking great at that sort of lie. “When I do what needs to be done, usually everyone is too busy to notice,” he finally admitted.

Gwaine nodded a bit, “I thought that might be the case. You are incredibly skilled, Merlin, it has taken weeks of watching you to put the pieces together.”

Merlin felt a flush of pride, because it was the first time someone other than Gaius had praised his magic. “I try,” he said, “I do everything I can to help.” He was sure that one day when Arthur finally knew, he’d look back and understand and realize magic was good. “You cannot tell Arthur, Gwaine. He isn’t ready to know the truth.”

“No, I suppose it would be embarrassing for him.”

“Yes,” Merlin agreed. He paused, “Wait, why embarrassing? Just that he wasn’t the first to figure it out?” He supposed that was a bit embarrassing but really the man had been turned into a donkey once, that was far more embarrassing.

“Well, I assume it was Uther that hired you,” Gwaine said.

“It was,” Merlin agreed slowly, but he know something was off, he just couldn’t figure it out. “But -”

“And part of the contract was Arthur never know that Uther doubted him so much to hire a private bodyguard for his son.” Gwaine was smiling, so proud of figuring out the big secret.

Merlin felt his jaw drop. It actually dropped. He had seen that in a mummer’s show but it was not a thing real people did, expect no apparently it was. His jaw actually dropped. He couldn’t breathe. Merlin could not pull enough air into his lungs. 

Secret bodyguard.

Gwaine, had come to the conclusion that Merlin wasn’t a manservant, but a bodyguard.

Bugger, he sort of was though, if he thought about it. Actually, he should work with this. He laughed a bit. “Yeah, yeah that is it. The big secret I have been holding for years. Super duper secret bodyguard. That is it, the whole thing. Indeed. Yes.”

“Merlin, it is fine. I won’t tell, but with Uther out of commission, Arthur would only be paying you a servant’s salary, that is hardly fair for the way you protect his life.”

“Trust me, I am fully aware of that,” Merlin muttered. He really did not get paid enough for everything that he had to do for Arthur and destiny, and all that all that. “I have never once had a bloody raise.” He was tired all of a sudden. He had been so sure, finally again someone who would know his secret, like Lancelot had, but he was gone, and Gwaine had added two and two and ended up with purple. He started to laugh and it turned to tears, and he did not like that. “I am so tired, Gwaine.” He tilted forward, but he didn’t fall. Instead he felt himself tucked into a hug that was incredibly comforting even smooshed up against mail. He sniffled and a few tears fell. “I’ll rust your armor.”

“I know a man, really good at polishing the stuff. How hard has it been, hiding just what you are capable of, in the sheen of being a mediocre servant.”

“As hard as it is to pretend to be a fool, I suppose.”

“Perhaps that is why we became such good friends. We both hide who we are from the world.”

“You could admit you aren’t an idiot.”

“So could you,” Gwaine pointed it.

“It is different,” Merlin protested. 

“I know.”

Merlin sighed. He shouldn’t lean on Gwaine this much, but he didn’t want the knight to let go yet. “You can’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t, I swear it, Merlin.” There was a gloved hand smoothing down his hair. “You have me. If you ever need to talk about it, I am here for you. To talk to. If you wanted.”

He wanted, he wanted so fucking much. “Sure,” Merlin agreed. “Absolutely. Tell you all about being a secret bodyguard. It’s really…great.”

“Great means miserable, doesn’t it?”

“Only lie to myself on Thursdays, and you said it was Wednesday. So I must be telling the truth.”

“Merlin, has anyone ever told you that you are an odd one?”

Merlin snorted, “Once or twice.”

“I like odd,” Gwaine offered.

“Dancing goblins!” Arthur shouted. 

They hurried back to camp, and saw the man was just dreaming. “I bet goblins would actually be quiet lovely dancers,” Gwaine whispered.

“Indeed, light on their feet,” Merlin snickered. They settled back onto the log near the fire, and huddled under the cloak together. “Gwaine?”

“Yes?”

“I’m glad it was you, that figured it out.” Merlin hated that he hadn’t figured it out properly, but this was closer than he thought he could have without Lancelot. He would take closer. 

“With how much I watch you, had to figure something out at some point. Just figured out a different thing than I anticipated.”

“Hmm,” Merlin nodded. He yawned a bit. “He takes so much looking after.” Merlin looked at Arthur, sleeping there. “Always charging in, always pushing hard. Just wish he would sit on his ass, so I only have to worry about poison.” Oh fuck, was he supposed to be more worried about poison? Arthur had survived his cookings, so it was likely to suggest that he had a strong enough constitution to survive most poisons. Shit. Now he had to do more research on poison. Great. Wonderful. He glared at Arthur a bit. Maybe he could freeze the man, only thaw him when he had to wave to a crowd, or beget an heir with Gwen, or sign some papers. No one would really miss him otherwise and if they did, they could visit the ice block Arthur was trapped in, and waved at him.

He would miss Arthur though. He’d figure something out. Gwaine was talking. “What was that?”

“Never mind,” Gwaine said, “I’ll tell you again another time.”

“Sure,” Merlin agreed. He yawned. “Do you really need me for keeping watch?”

“No, rest,” Gwaine said. “I’ve got you safe.”

“I save everyone,” Merlin replied.

“For a couple hours, let me save you.”

Merlin didn’t hear that though already fast asleep and drooling on Gwaine’s cloak.

*

Merlin was pissed off. To be fair everyone in Camelot was, that the visiting nobles had tried to kill Arthur. Gwen had drawn a sword on the woman herself - though that was likely just as much about her being rather brazen in flirting with Arthur and talking of good border relations. Arthur did not cope well with women flirting with him, he couldn’t figure out what to do with his hands. And it turned out she was mostly trying to distract Arthur so her assassins could break in and do their job. 

Which they hadn’t, because Merlin saved him, like always. And actually gotten stabbed a bit, which was annoying, especially because Arthur had then complain that Merlin was bleeding on the floor and it should be cleaned up. Apparently he had to do his chores even when it was his blood making the mess. He should have let Arthur be stabbed, just a little, just once. That would be great. See how much he liked it. But the idiot would likely not get just a little stabbed, but super stabbed and that was harder to heal. And he’d have more floor to clean.

But he cleaned the floor, healed the wound, people were jailed and executed and it was just another day in Camelot. Gwen at least thanked Merlin for saving Arthur’s life and kissed his cheek. Gave him a day off. Arthur tried to say that was his job, but a look from Gwen shut him up. Merlin wanted to learn that look. It was such a good look. Imagine if he could give that look to Arthur and then there be silence. Heaven.

“Merlin!”

Merlin blinked, and realized he was just standing in the hall way. How long had he been thinking about the power of the Gwen stare? “Hello, Gwaine,” he said.

“I heard you are off for the day,” Gwaine was in his casual clothes. “So am I. Want to go have a bit of fun?”

“Gods, yes,” Merlin agreed. The tavern and a drink sounded fantastic. Only they weren’t going to the tavern. “Gwaine? Did you forget where ale was? Oh my god, were you hit in the head?” They were actively being lead away from the tavern. “Your name is Gwaine, and you are a knight. You like ale, and bar fights, and dice, and me.” Merlin flushed a bit, maybe he had given away a bit too much there.

“Yes, I know,” Gwaine was pulling him along. “But in the tavern, people are around. I want you all to myself.”

Well, that doesn’t sound so bad, but where?” They were headed down some side streets in lower town and then Gwaine was climbing a ladder. He followed and then they were on a roof, not the tallest in lower town, but it afforded a nice view. There was a blanket tossed down and a basket that had a jug of ale, some bread, a few other things. He snorted a bit. “Am I at one of Gwaine’s Mighty Seduction Locales? I have heard stories about them. How do you actually fuck on a rooftop?”

“Very carefully,” Gwaine said. “Now sit. Enjoy.”

They ate and enjoyed the view and Merlin relaxed, the stress of the assassination attempt finally seeping away.

“So those were Gwarlian assassins, not bad but clearly mid level guild. Your training is much better. Are you Mastrelion trained? That would explain the doing things we can’t see. But also your ability to be unassuming is more like the Lavelic school. On the other hand, you are hiding as the physician’s assistant so knowledge of poisons and herbs means the Vurlype School? Am I right with any of these guesses?”

“That is four different assassin schools,” Merlin felt a little faint. “Why are you so sure I am a trained assassin?”

Gwaine ate a piece of dried meat. “You know, fair. Don’t have to be from one of those schools. Pirate trained? Fighter trained like that Griffin school? Or I suppose a mercenary of Galt or Flavacia is also in the realm of possibility.”

“What the fuck?” Merlin thought.

“What do you mean?”

He hadn’t thought it, apparently he had said it out loud. But still, “That is so many different groups. There can’t be that many out there training people to fight and kill Arthur.”

“Well, since most of those groups are a few centuries old, probably not training just to get Arthur,” Gwaine pointed out. “And I mean those are just the ones that everyone knows. There is also the Ezlio brigands, the Hythenic generals, the -” 

Merlin felt faint as Gwaine kept just listing groups with increasingly insane names.

“And of course the Nameless Ones,” Gwaine smiled at him. “Ohh, fuck Merlin, are you a nameless one? That would be brilliant.” 

Merlin sat there and calmly reached for the jug of ale and drank until he choked. “How, how are there that many guilds and schools? You have to have made some of those up.”

“No?” Gwaine shrugged and took the ale away. Tried to, anyways. Merlin hissed and held the jug close. He needed the comfort. “And I mean to be fair, I didn’t list the ones that focus on killing you in bed. I doubt you were trained up by them.”

“Excuse you?” Merlin was offended. “I could absolutely have been trained in a seduction school.”

“Merlin, you are gorgeous and sexy, but come on,” Gwaine tugged, “And share, it took me a fair bit to make sure I stole the good ale.”

Merlin didn’t give up the pitcher, because he needed it dammit. “No, you don’t get to tell me that the continent is more assassin than civilian and get ale. And I could absolutely fuck someone to death!”

“You really don’t need anymore ale.”

“Yes, I do!” Merlin drank some more. “How is that a good business model?”

“Fucking someone to death?” Gwaine looked confused and it wasn’t his playing dumb to get out of having to do reports like how Leon did, it was actually lost in the conversation which was good because Merlin was a bit lost. “I actually don’t know.”

“No, how can there be that many assassin and fighting schools? At a certain point there is no one left to assassinate! You don’t need that many trained killers. Supply and demand, it doesn’t make any sense.” Merlin hiccuped a bit. “Arthur annoys everyone and I have to save him all the time. And now you tell me there are that many out there who could be coming for him.”

“Again, I don’t think they are all coming for Arthur?”

“They will,” Merlin said darkly, “because he’ll be an idiot and they will come, and I’ll have to deal with them all. Like I always have to deal with, but he’s an idiot.”

“You are repeating yourself,” Gwaine finally got the ale away from him. “Merlin, most of the schools in fight about who is the best. They kill each other for supremacy.”

“Oh, that is really stupid. Why are we the only smart people on the continent, Gwaine?” Merlin went digging in the basket, and found the dried fruit. “You found my favourite! I love you.”

“I love you too, so come on, give a boy a hint,” Gwaine leaned forward, “where were you trained Merlin?”

“Mostly self taught,” Merlin admitted. “Sometimes people wandered through the village, see to their gear, in exchange for teaching me a bit here and there.” He decided to take a risk. “Druids taught me a bit.”

“Oh, clever,” Gwaine praised. “They have excellent tactics for situational fighting in the woods. Plus, all the magic they have, learning how to combat that - really perfect for protecting Arthur.”

“Yes,” Merlin smiled a bit. “Perfect.”

“Shame though.”

“What is?” Merlin waited for whatever was about to be said. He had a feeling it would change something. He hoped it didn’t make him hate Gwaine. Please, don’t let Gwaine be what Merlin didn’t think he was.

“Arthur,” Gwaine ate a bit of the dried fruit and then held it up on offer. Merlin took it, chewed slowly. Gwaine was thinking again. Fuck, this was about to be the worst moment in his life. Well, he could just push Gwaine off the roof, wouldn’t kill him but would break a leg. Or he could fling himself off. For a moment he thought of the rampart that Gwaine had pushed him off, and figured he was due to return the favour when Gwaine broke his heart with whatever he said next. “He should study magic more.”

Merlin had been ready to push and stopped. “What?”

“Well, people with magic keep trying to kill him. Because he hates magic, or just because sometimes Arthur really does have a killable face. But instead of ignoring it, outlawing it, shouldn’t he study it, like he does sword techniques from other lands, to understand them, prepare against them, maybe even use them. It just makes the most tactical sense.”

Merlin blinked, maybe no one had to be pushed or leap off the roof. “It would,” Merlin agreed slowly. Cautiously, because sometimes when Gwaine thought, he didn’t end up in the place you expected. “Go on?”

“Right, so magic,” Gwaine nodded, “it can be really fucking bad, seen that often enough.”

Merlin winced. Pushing was back on the table. Well, roof.

“But it can be really fucking great, especially sex magic. I mean, clearly, we all love that when we experience it.”

Merlin froze, because what? “What?”

“Well, I mean you know -” 

“I really don’t,” Merlin snapped, “But you are going to explain it.”

Gwaine grinned, “I start talking about that, I’ll forget my original point.”

“I don’t give a fuck about your original point, I care about this one. It is more interesting than the fact that the whole continent is training to kill Arthur, and I’ll have do deal with them. WHAT DO YOU MEAN SEX MAGIC?” Merlin had read everything he could ever find about magic. He had Gaius, he talked to a goddamn dragon, and no one had ever mentioned that there were uses for sex in magic. Well no, he actually knew that fertility rituals and all that, but he meant magic in sex. That was a thing he needed to learn more about.

“Merlin, I don’t think -”

“I am aware you like to pretend that, but you aren’t going to right now. Right now, you are going to tell me everything you know about sex magic.”

“All sex is magic if it is done right,” Gwaine replied with a happy smile. “And I do it right.”

“SEX MAGIC, GWAINE!”

“Alright, alright, why are you so interested in that?”

“Reasons,” Merlin snarled. These were important reasons dammit, and the man was going to share. “Arthur might…one day go to a brothel and -” Gwaine just looked at him and yes, fair, Arthur would only be there to save someone, because the man could never be unfaithful to Gwen. Good for him, but that meant that was out the window. “I don’t think magic is evil,” Merlin blurted out, “I think it could be good, if it was allowed to be. And sex magic seems, good?”

“Very good,” Gwaine agreed, “Actually there is this one assassin school, one of the seduction ones -” 

Gwaine was driving him crazy, that brain of his focusing on the wrong things and Merlin didn’t think just slammed his mouth against Gwaine’s in a truly awful kiss. It was smooshed and somehow dry and wet at the same time, and they both had miserable breath from their lunch. 

It was the best goddamn kiss of his life and he wanted more. Only he wanted it a bit too much and they rolled off the roof and into a washer woman’s lye baths. Their eyes stung and the water was foul as she had clearly just finished a great deal of clothes, but the situation could have been so much worse. She shouted at them and chased them off with her washing paddle, actually connecting with Gwaine’s ass and for a moment there was a flash in his eyes that Merlin definitely wanted to explore later. 

“Do we go back and get the stuff off the roof?” Merlin asked, they were still running even though there was no reason to at this point. 

“No, a surprise for her, still some good stuff left. Your room is closer.” Gwaine was pulling him along again. 

“To get dry?”

Gwaine hauled him close and kissed him, and it still tasted not great, but felt amazing. “No, to talk about sex…magic,” Gwaine whispered when they broke apart.

“Yes,” Merlin grinned, “I should learn about that. To protect Arthur. Just in case. Because I am his secret bodyguard.” Still, he should tell Gwaine something. “Haven’t actually experienced that.”

“That?” Gwaine grinned at him. “How much that?”

“I’ve had some this, but no that.” Merlin was fairly certain that was the stupidest thing he had ever said. “I understand how the that works, I’ve read, a lot, but there has been no that in my life. Sadly.”

“Merlin, you should have told me, I would have that that’d you the day I met you.”

“You got stabbed.”

“Trust me, I would have powered through the blood loss to that that to you.”

“Right, my room for that then,” Merlin ordered. And it was weird and brilliant and he wanted to do it a lot more, and only with Gwaine. He tugged at Gwaine’s hair and woke the man up because apparently he slept hard after a very good that. “You are mine now. Or I’ll kill you. With my super secret assassin skills.” Fuck, that came across way too intense and creepy. Threatening murder probably wasn’t the right way to approach a committed relationship with a man as flighty and contrary as Gwaine.

“Would you?” Gwaine grinned. “How would you do it?”

“What?”

“How would you kill me? A surprise attack, a dastardly trap? Tell me how you would do it, and I bet I can guess what school some of those wanderers who taught you were from.” Gwaine had rolled on top of him, and was pinning him down and that felt rather good. “If I was naughty, Merlin, just exactly how would you deal with me?” Teeth grazed at his neck. “In fact, I think I am going to misbehave dreadfully, perhaps you should put me in my place.”

Merlin thought of everything his magic could do, and almost screamed that he couldn’t let it out. For a moment he closed his eyes and felt so very alone.

But then Gwaine pressed a kiss to his heart, “Merlin, I’m teasing. So long as you are mine as well, I am good with being yours.”

Merlin opened his eyes, and stared at Gwaine. He wasn’t so alone, really. He grinned and flipped them over. “Naughty hmm? Maybe I should do this then.” He slid down Gwaine’s body and didn’t feel alone at all.

*

Merlin stood there and the world felt incredibly still. Everyone stared at the bolt that was stopped just before Arthur’s eye, frozen in the air. Arthur wasn’t even blinking. Merlin could hear the clash of swords and a cry. At least the man who had shot the crossbow was dead. Like he would be soon. If he let go of the magic the arrow would just drop to the ground at this point, but he couldn’t. For whatever reason, he just couldn’t stop holding the magic, even as a tear slid down his cheek. Even as all the other knights backed away. Even as Arthur just sat there, still unblinking.

“Got the bastard,” Gwaine called as he hurried over. 

Merlin still couldn’t move. He wanted to run but he was fixed. He wanted to scream but only the smallest wounded noise escaped his throat. But then Gwaine was next to him, moving him two steps closer so he was right next to Arthur. The hand that wasn’t holding the spell came up and Gwaine gently wrapped it around the bolt. Merlin could not figure out what he was doing.

“Arthur, the secret is out,” Gwaine said calmly. “The super secret deadly bodyguard the king hired to protect you all those years ago is revealed. Merlin caught with his bare hand, the bolt that would have killed you. Isn’t that impressive?”

Merlin, finally released the magic with a gasp. He fell to the ground, and stared at the bolt he was holding. 

Gwaine went over and helped Arthur up. “Sorry, princess, when I clued in that Merlin was a secret bodyguard, I probably should have told you, but well, you know me, I’ll protect Merlin, always, no matter against who.”

“Whom,” Leon piped in.

“Not the time, Leon,” Elyan hissed, “Not when Merlin just revealed he’s a bloody sorcerer.”

“Warlock,” Merlin found himself saying. “When you have magic your whole life, you are warlock. I know Leon likes to get grammar correct, so you know when you are burning me at the stake you can say it right.”

“And either who or who would work there,” Gwaine offered, “and why would anyone be burned at the stake? To be sure, Merlin’s assassin skills almost seem magical, but catching a bolt out of the air is not so uncommon for those trained in the Tharacksa school in the far east.” Gwaine very clearly was angling them and Merlin realized that Gwaine was now standing casually between Merlin, and the rest of their company. “Secret bodyguard hired by Uther, right Merlin?”

“I was hired by Uther, and there were a couple instances where he thanked me and directed me to look after Arthur,” Merlin agreed. He was impressed that anyone could hear the words over how loudly his heart was beating. Percival was approaching and Merlin looked him in the eye. At least if the man crushed his skull it would be over quickly. Then he lost sight of everyone else, because Percival was now standing protectively as well. 

“Seen a lot of things in my travel. Group of warriors in the north, can catch a bolt easily enough, and with Merlin’s pale skin makes sense that he trained more the Berenzia tribes than those in the far east.” He crossed his arms and nodded. “Sorry to disagree with you, Gwaine.”

“An interesting supposition,” Gwaine agreed. “Do you know the pirates of Revelen also can -”

“Stop reminding me of how many people out there could try to kill Arthur,” Merlin shouted. “Been hard enough to keep him alive the last few years when just dealing with Morgana and walking corpses and stuff. May the old gods cut me a fucking break just once!” Merlin was fed up. It wasn’t Thursday and he wasn’t going to lie to himself. “If they want their fucking prophecy about Arthur ushering in a new era of greatness, maybe they should cut me a fucking break for once in my life since I arrived in Camelot!” he shouted. 

_Gwaine_ , the winds seemed to whisper.

“And giving me a great boyfriend with perfect hair and a really wonderful dick, and loyalty out his ass, doesn’t count as cutting me a break!” he shouted back. 

“Thank you Merlin, though I feel like my loyalty comes more from my gut than my ass,” Gwaine replied. 

Merlin began to laugh hysterically because this was actually so much worse than how he had pictured the reveal of his magic going. But no matter what he had Gwaine, and it seemed Percival on his side.

“You are all fools,” Arthur snapped, “He caught the bolt with his non dominant hand. Training for that kind of dexterity only comes from the McTravinian school of assassins in the west. Anyone knows that.”

Merlin pressed his forehead into Gwaine’s shoulder blades for a moment, hardly believing what he had heard. “That sounds fake,” Merlin managed to say. “All these schools of assassins and fighters all sound incredibly fake. The fakest ever. Just the worst names.”

“I know, people name things oddly. I mean look, my name is Gwaine, it is a bit of a stupid name.”

“Goes with how stupid you are,” Arthur replied.

“Not so stupid, I never not noticed that my father hired a secret bodyguard for me.”

“He really did just hire me to be his servant. Destiny sort of decreed that I keep Arthur alive, the once and future king, unite all of Albion, eventually realizes that magic isn’t rubbish, and stops making me complicit in suppressing it when it mostly just wants to be left alone. Not that I’m magic of course. Super secret bodyguard,” Merlin reminded them. He took a deep breath and stepped around Gwaine, knowing he could only take that step because the man had his back no matter what. “Hello, sire,” Merlin tried to smile.

“Oh, just get camp set up,” Arthur muttered. “I need to have a sit and deal with my whole bloody world view changing in a handful of minutes.”

Merlin nodded, “I’ll go get some fire wood.” He grinned a bit and flicked his hand and a pile of branches flew through the air and formed a perfect fire. He cast and it cheerfully lit. “All done.” Arthur glared at him. “Too soon?”

“A little bit,” Arthur agreed. “Go set some snares. By hand, not by magic. Gwaine, you better have a flask in your fucking saddlebags.”

“Help yourself. I’ll help Merlin with those snares, while you have your sit and think.”

Merlin hurried into the woods and collapsed, into a shaking mess. He sobbed when Gwaine pulled him into his lap and let himself be held as years of secrecy and stress just poured out of him. “Gwaine?”

“Yes?”

“I really want to use sex magic on you,” was all that he managed to blubber out. Not an apology for years of lies and secrets, not explanations about who he was, a thanks that Gwaine was clearly ready to die for him. “I bet I could do great sex magic on you.”

“Now I am very intrigued,” Gwaine replied. He moved his mail a bit and wiped at Merlin’s snot and tears with his gambeson. “It will be fine.”

“Will it?”

“It will,” Gwaine promised. “I was so sure I was right.”

“More right than most have been,” Merlin leaned against him. “Fuck, Gwaine. Just fuck.”

“Imagine how I feel, apparently the old gods gave me to you as a gift. Sorry you are going to suffer and have to hide who you are. We brought you an ale soaked nobody as your toy surprise for keeping a destined king alive.”

Merlin looked at him. “You are not nobody.” He made a face, “you are the most somebody there is.” How did Gwaine not see how somebody he was? He was all the body to Merlin that he could hope for. Wait that sounded weird and from the way Gwaine snorted it might have been said out loud. “You are Sir Gwaine. My sir Gwaine. You are very much a somebody.”

“Do I tell you about all the assassin schools out there that have an emphasis on magic?” 

Merlin’s brain broke at the the thought of that list. “No, you do not,” he said firmly. “You help me catch some rabbits for stew.” The found a few and returned to camp. Which was very quiet and Merlin sat next to Arthur. “How you doing?” he asked quietly.

“It honestly explains a lot,” Arthur replied. He finished Gwaine’s flask. “So much.”

“What now?”

“Now you cook us miserable stew, and we finish our task and then we return to Camelot,” Arthur nodded. “And then we figure a lot of shit out.”

“Are we figuring it out with me on a pyre?”

“No,” Arthur hit him, “Don’t be any more of an idiot than you have to. I’d be stuck with George as my servant then, no thank you.” 

Merlin felt a relief an easing of the pain in his heart. “Right then,” he nodded a bit. Leon’s hand was in the air. “Leon, you alright there?”

“Oh, yes,” Leon’s hand lowered, “does that mean that every time Gaius told us you were in the pub, you weren’t?”

“Pretty much, was off saving you lot from something or other.” Leon’s hand was in the air again, “Yes, Leon?”

“So what exactly can your magic do?”

Merlin watched all the knights move closer. Gwaine settled next to him, and there was a hand on the small of his back. He laughed when he realized that Gwaine was writing sex over and over with his finger along Merlin’s spine.

“Answer the man, already,” Arthur complained, “Not that I am curious or anything as well.”

Merlin smiled and held up his hand. “How about I show you?” he suggested and stopped hiding from his friends.


End file.
